Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 23
By Umid Niayesh - Trend:
The Nov. 24 deadline may be extended if Iran and the P5+1 fail to achieve a "general political" agreement till Nov. 23 night, a member of Iran's nuclear negotiating team said, ISNA news agency reported.
Nov. 24 is set as the deadline to reach a comprehensive nuclear agreement between Iran and the world six powers (the US, UK, France, Russia and China plus Germany) to put an end to 11 years of nuclear dispute.
The Iranian diplomat said that the ongoing talks are focused on reaching a political and general understanding not the comprehensive deal.
Achieving a final deal before Nov. 24 deadline is almost impossible, the source said, adding "we are trying to agree on the general principles of the agreement including the extent of the uranium enrichment, centrifuges, the time frame of activities, removing the sanctions as well as activities of Arak and Fordow nuclear sites."
If a general agreement on the mentioned issues is achieved, the sides can return to the negotiations after a short interval for drafting the details, he said.
"Otherwise the deadline should be extended," Iranian diplomat underlined.
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, US Secretary of State John Kerry and EU coordinator Catherine Ashton on Nov. 22 held their fourth round of trilateral talks in the fifth day of Vienna talks on outstanding issues about the nuclear dispute.
The sides have currently focused on the extent of uranium enrichment and a timetable to lift sanctions, according to the Islamic Republic's official IRNA news agency.
It seems that all the parties involved, particularly Iran and the United States, are making every effort to reach a comprehensive agreement.
Last November, Iran and the P5+1 clinched an interim nuclear accord, which took effect on Jan. 20 and expired six months later. However, the parties agreed to extend their talks until Nov. 24 as they remained divided on a number of key issues.
The US and its Western allies suspect Iran of developing a nuclear weapon - something that Iran denies.